Improvement in sugar- dr a i n i ng machines



J. W. ARCHBALD.

Centrifugal Sugar-Machine.

No. 9,560. Patented Jan. 25. 1853.

AM. P HOTO 'LITHO. C0.N.Y- (OSBDRN E'S PROCESS) UNITED STATES PATENT FFMJE.

' JOSIAH XV. AROHBALD, OF PORTO RICO, \VEST INDU CS, ASSIGNOR TO HORACE SOUTIIMAYD.

IMPROVEMENT IN SUGAR-DRAINING MACHINES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 9,5611}, dated January 25, 18:33.

To all whom, it may concern:

)0 itknown that I, Josmrr W. AROHBALD, of the Island ofPorto Rico, in the \Vest Indies, and a subject of the King of Spain, have invented a new and useful Improvement connected with Centrifugal Sugar-Machines; and I hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and eXact description of the same, reference being had to the annexed drawings, forming part of this specification, in which Figure 1 is a plan view. Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional elevation. Fig. 3is avertical section of the loose bag when placed in the machine. Fig. 4 is a view of the loose bag.

The same letters of reference indicate like parts. 7

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use my invention, I will proceed to describe the nature, construction, and operation of the same.

The nature of my invention consists in employing a loose bag of cotton, linen, hair-cloth, or any such fibrous or flexible material, in combination with the American centrifugal refinin g sugar-machine, by placing the said bag in said machine loosely, or securing it by loops, with the sugar to be operated upon inside of it to keep the sugar from attaching itself to the wire-gauze or perforated cylinder when the machine is in motion, and whereby the whole of the sugar, when refined, can be at once lifted out of the machine by lifting out the said bag containing the sugar, so that another bag full of sugar can be placed in the machine to go through the same operation, thus saving the loss of time usually entailed by scraping off the sugar from the wire-gauze or sides of the rotating cylinder, and whereby one bag can beemptied and cleaned when another is being employed, so as to keep the ma chine in active operation much longer in a certain number of hours than is possible by the common modes of working such machines.

A is an outside cylinder, made of sheet or plate metal. It has a bottom, a, and a spout,

'b, 011 it. This cylinder is stationary and fixed. It has an opening through the center of its bottom for the driving-shaft cto pass through.

B is an interior cylinder. Its sides are made of perforated copper plates or of wire-gauze; but its bottom d is made of sheet or plate metal, and it has a broad metal flange at its top, and is sirengthened by metal rods 1'. The bottom of this interior wire-gauze cylinder is made of a conical form at the center, the cone being hollow on the outside, to admit and receive the driving shaft 0, which passes into a collar, ,9, firmly securing the said cylinder to said shaft, so that when said shaft is revolved it will give the said cylinder a rapid rotary motion.

The parts of said machine so described are not new. They are old, and need not be fun ther described. Such machines are in common use for refining sugar.

The sugar to be operated upon is mixed with a certain quantity of molass es and placed inside of said perforated cylinder, which then receives a rapid rotary motion, when, by the centrifugal action of the force thus communicated to the machine, the sugar is thrown upon the sides of the cylinder, the molasses and other moisture in the sugar pass through the wire=gauze and out of the machineby the spout Z), and in a short time the sugar, which was put into the machine in a dark-brown wet state, is found in a nearly dry state, greatly purified and adhering to the inside of the wire-gauze cylinder. To empty or discharge the cylinder of its sugar, the said sugar has to be scraped off the sides of the perforated cylinder. This is a laborious and tiresome part of the process of refining sugar, involving a great deal of time and toil, and consequent loss ofa machines operation; and, besides, the wire-gauze has to be washed frequently, and this also involves a further loss of time by the stoppage of the machine for such a purpose. I obviate this loss of time of the machines active daily operations, also the scraping off the sugar and washing the perforated cylinder, by the employment of a loose bag to contain and retain the sugar in the machine, and for discharging said sugar rapidly from the machine. This bag L is made of coarse cotton, linen, grass-cloth, or any fibrous or like flexible materials, and is of a form like that represented in Fig. 4:. This bag must be made loose and wide, so as to set in the cylinder, and its bottom set on and be retained by the central cone of the cylinder, as shown in Fig. 2. This bag must be of such a quality of mesh as to allow the molasses, when the machine is revolving, to pass freely through or between the threads which compose its warp and weft. The sugar to be acted upon in the machine is prepared for that purpose, and is placed in the bag, then simply placed in the machine; or the sugar may be poured into the bag after it is placed in the cylinder and the cylinder B set in rapid motion. This bag then assumes the position represented in Fig. 2. The molasses is thrown through its meshes and passes through the perforated sides and out of the spout Z), and when the sugar is sufficiently depurated the machine is stopped, the lips of the bag are brought close together, its mouth closed, the bag lifted out in a moment, and with it the whole sugar, which has been refined. Another bag is at hand with sugar in it, as before described. It is placed in the ma chine, which is again set in motion, while the former bag is being emptied, and thus time, labor, &c., are saved by this simple improvement.

By this improvement the impurities which usually fill up the interstices or perforations in the sides of the machine, and which cause a loss of the machines operation, by having to be frequently washed, are retained in the meshes of the loose bag L, which bag can be speedily rinsed in water and cleansed, while another bag is in the machine, thus enabling the machine to be run during the time which is now occupied in washing it.

The size of the bag is proportioned to the size of the machine. It must be of a size and form to retain the sugar and spread out in the machine, and be about large enough to come up to or over the top flange, f, but quite loose, so that its mouth can be easily closed and be lifted up and out with the sugar in it. Any person can make such a bag from this descrip tion. This bag could not be used in a cen; trifugal machine driven with a central top vertical shaft. Itcan only be used in the American centrifugal sugar-machine, which is open and free inside, and is driven by a shaft from the bottom, as shown in Fig. 2. The bag is not permanently secured by clamp or othcrwise to the rotating cylinder; hence it is so easy of management and so convenient and useful. Besides saving a great deal of labor by my improvementthis loosebag LI am enabled to save in the running of one centrifugal machine about two hours out of the ten, which amounts to one day of twelve hours for a single machine in aweek. Sugar can also be steamed 0r washed with this bag in the machine. Its value to sugar -refiners is of great importance.

Pins or hooks may be secured 011 the cylinder, and loops or eyes made in the bag to loop or hook on the said pins or hooks; but the bag must be so loosely attached to the cylinder as to be rapidly plaeedin and lifted out from it. A loose bag, however, operates perfectly, and I prefer it as the most simple arrangement; but the hooks, &c., and loops may be employed, if desired, as a modification of the principle.

I am aware that a bag of fibrous material has been employed in combination with atop spindle sugar-machine in London; but it was only employed for discharging the contents of the cylinder by being secured to a nut on a central screw-shaft and permanently clamped to the edge or rim of the cylinder. The bag was run up by the screw, and it simply threw out the sugar over the sides of the machine. My bag could not be employed in such a ma chine at all, and my invention is entirely different, as my bag is loose, isnot permanently attached to the machine, and accomplishes other objects, as heretofore set forth.

Having thus described the nature and opcration of my invention, what I claim as new,

and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is

The employment of a fibrous or flexible bag made of cotton, linen, hair-cloth, or any other substance placed loosely or secured by loops, as described, in a centrifugal depurating sugar-machine inside of the wiregauze cylinder and containing the sugar, said bag not being permanently attached to the machine by any screw or clamp, &c., but to be freely placed in and then lifted out of the machine entirely when the sugar is depurated, for the purposes set forth.

. J. W. AROl-IBALD.

- Witnesses:

S. H. \VALEs, Tnos. MAHoN. 

